Fire investigation still underway
The cause of a 4-acre fire that broke out at Coast Highway and Nyes Place on Sunday was still under investigation, according to Laguna Beach Fire Department Division Chief Dan Stefano.
“At this point, the fire investigation continues and a final report is not anticipated for at least another week or more,” Stefano said in an email.
When asked about downed power lines in the area, he said investigators are looking closely at everything, but that there are no speculations until the final report is done.
At the time of the fire, Orange County Fire Authority spokeswoman Lynnette Round said: “We did see some power lines down, but we’re not sure if that started the fire. Investigators are looking into it.”
Meanwhile, firefighters last week continued to patrol the burn area.
A local fire engine responded Tuesday morning “to mitigate some very minor smoldering areas within the burn area,” according to Stefano.
A day prior, some 20 firefighters, including an OCFA crew and about two local fire engines, were in the area making sure there were no flare-ups.
“A lot of times, with a fire like that, we have to go in to the interior area and make sure everything is out and make sure that we don’t have something that could reignite,” Stefano said earlier in the week.
The fire was first reported at about 11:36 a.m. Sunday, Stefano said.
At one point, about 150 firefighters were battling the blaze, according to Round.
Lanes of Coast Highway were closed Sunday but reopened by 5 p.m., the city said in a news release.
About 20 homes on Nyes Place were threatened and residents were given an optional evacuation notice, which was lifted around 8 p.m. Sunday, Round said.
By Monday, all residents were allowed to return, Stefano said.
Portions of Nyes Place, where fire engines and other firefighting equipment is located, were reduced to one lane earlier in the week to accommodate the equipment.
The city advised residents that helicopters could possibly be in the area, dropping water if necessary.
No structures were damaged in the blaze. One OCFA firefighter was injured and transported to a hospital Sunday, but no further details were given.
As for power outages, the city said Edison had restored power to Laguna Terrace mobile home park as of 2 a.m. Monday through emergency generators, and was working on restoring permanent power.
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